Met up with Al for a loop in the Black Mountains and a classic route he has ridden many times. I stayed in Hereford and then met up at the starting point in the morning.
Predictably the weather was naff and it rained through out but occasionally there was a break in the cloud and some amazing views.
The going was hard, that sort of wet soggy grass and moss that sucks your tyres and slows you down. It feels like riding through treacle.
Some of the climbs were brutal and the final one was a hike and push into low cloud up to the top of the plateau. We might have taken a couple of rests on the way up…
As with all really good rides there was a good descent, down from the tops first on singletrack, then once past the reservoir onto double track and all the way down to the carpark.
Great loop in some spectacular landscapes – I can believe that in good weather this would be even better.
R O T H A R . C O M 